The University of Tennessee at Martin Faculty and Staff Newsletter | Dec. 2, 2019

addendaUT summit on mental health prompts new action

The University of Tennessee System responded to a national mental health crisis among higher education institutions by igniting action at the 2019 Academic and Student Affairs Summit: Building a Unified Mental Health Culture, held Nov. 22 in Nashville.

More than 100 people from across the UT System, as well as state higher education professionals, gathered to discuss ways to improve mental health and wellness for all UT students and share resources to help de-stigmatize mental illness.

“By coming together for events such as this, we hope to remove silos that exist between academic affairs and student life, develop new skills from mental health professionals within our system and learn from current students about their experiences accessing mental health resources. I hope we can all leave the meeting today with a greater sense of direction and purpose to help us address student well-being more effectively,” said Leigh Cherry, UT System coordinator for student success initiatives.

For David Arnold, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators assistant vice president for health, safety and well-being initiatives, addressing mental health begins by building a strong community of health and well-being at institutions of higher education.

“There is a connection between students’ educational outcomes and their positive health outcomes,” Arnold said in his keynote address. “It is

our job to make it known that while we are making a healthy community, we also need to make an educated community.”

Students turn to behavioral coping when dealing with mental health struggles, Arnold said. This way of coping can be comprised of high-risk alcohol use, prescription stimulant medication misuse, poor sleep, poor diet, lack of physical activity and social isolation.

Arnold stated that about one in five college students engage in frequent binge-drinking episodes, while more than 60 percent of students report poor sleep, which directly affects their emotional and academic stress.

According to a Gallup comprehensive study of people in more than 150 countries, there are five essential elements in a person’s well-being: finding a purpose in achieving goals, managing a secure financial life, having good physical health, having supportive relationships and feeling safe in a community.

“Individuals are crafted by the community in which they are involved,” Arnold said. “We need to pivot from how we can serve the individual to how the environment can serve the individual.”

As part of the Imperative for Prevention workshop, leaders from each campus in the UT System touched on how their campus is striving to create this type of community. The workshop was hosted by the UT Health Science Center’s Lori Gonzalez, vice chancellor for academic, faculty and

student affairs, and Kathy Gibbs, assistant vice chancellor for student academic support services and inclusion.

The UT Institute of Agriculture has established “VOLidays” events, which were created to help students “de-stress” before finals. These events include movie showings, holiday activities, food and more.

UT Chattanooga leaders highlighted its Case Assessment, Review and Evaluation (CARE) Team, which has a mission to provide proactive and supportive prevention, assessment, intervention and management for situations that would compromise the safety and well-being of its community.

A UT Martin faculty member also emphasized the importance of its CARE team, whose members attend all of the college’s meetings at the beginning of the academic year to share about mental health services available to students. “This helps me destigmatize mental health,” said Dr. John Oelrich, UT Martin director of bands. “Just because you don’t physically see the symptoms of mental health struggles doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It’s important for faculty to model this to our students as they often look to us as how it should be.”

UT Health Science Center staff mentioned their event titled the “Warrior Within,” which allows health-care professionals and leaders to share their experience handling the demands of health sciences

while pursuing academic success. “As important as it is to care for those struggling with mental health issues, it is just as important to care for the frontline caregivers,” Gibbs said. “This event is just one of the ways in which we achieve that.”

Student representatives from each UT campus sat on a student panel and discussed mental health challenges that college students face.

UT Martin sophomore Ray Washington continued the conversation by asking adults on campus to understand that not everyone expresses their mental health struggles the same way.

“Students will try to get your attention in different ways. Some might come and talk a lot while others might just come to you and sit in silence,” Washington said. “No matter how they come, value when that student comes to you because it means that they trust you.”

Thompson also mentioned how much a professor can impact a student’s mental health.

“Our students’ well-being is why we do what we do. One person can make a difference,” said Dr. Linda Martin, UT System vice president for academic affairs and student success. “Systematically it might seem too big, but it all starts with one person.”

Read more of the story in the UT Martin news archive.

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(l-r) Anthony Prewitt, assistant director of multicultural affairs, and Rachel Stephens, assistant director for student life, have been accepted to present during the 2020 Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values Central Conference held Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 2020, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their presentation, titled “My Campus Just Doesn’t Get Me,” will focus on the challenges faced by members and leaders of culturally-based student organizations.

Landy Fuqua (right), director of the REED Center, received the 2019 Tennessee State Star Award from the Tennessee Small Business Development Center in September. She accepted the award as one of 50 national winners, one from each state, at the 39th-annual America’s Small Business Development Center National Conference held Sept. 3. She is pictured here with State Rep. Andy Holt, who recognized her accomplishments Nov. 26.

(l-r) Drs. Stuart Currie and Ajit Korgaokar, both associate professors of health and human performance, were invited guest presenters at the sixth International Game Sense Conference for Physical Education Teachers and Sport Coaches, hosted in Tokyo, Japan. Their oral paper presented challenges faced when implementing a game-based approach in U.S. physical education teacher education programs and youth soccer coaching education. They also demonstrated a “play-practice-play” player development model.

Jim Reed (no photo available), an adjunct instructor of mathematics and statistics at the UT Martin Parsons Center, recently celebrated 55 years in education. Students, staff and faculty at the center honored him for his dedication to the field of mathematics with a reception Nov. 21.

In Memory

Dr. Gordon Morris, professor emeritus of biology, died Nov. 30 at age 82. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m., Dec. 3, at Murphy Funeral Home and from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Dec. 4, at the First United Methodist Church in Martin. The funeral will begin at 3 p.m. Morris taught at UT Martin from Sept. 1, 1967 to July 31, 2001.

Grant Submissions

Wanted

Apply for a One UT Collaboration and

Innovation Grant to foster innovation and collaboration

in student success, research, and outreach and

engagement. Contact ORSP for more information at

881-7615.

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SOMERVILLE CENTER – The UT Martin Somerville Center hosted a “debt-free celebration” Nov. 25 to celebrate the full payment of the debt owed for the renovation of the building that now houses the center. The debt was paid in only 28 months with assistance from Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital, the State of Tennessee, the Fayette County government, UT Martin, the UT Foundation and private citizens and businesses in the Fayette County area. Pictured during the reception are (l-r) Mike French, Somerville alderman; Ben Jones, UT Foundation; Erica Bell, UT Martin Office of Educational Outreach; and Ronnie Neill, Somerville mayor.

The League of Striving Artists, UT Martin’s student art organization, will host its annual holiday art bazaar from 5-8 p.m., Dec. 5; 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Dec. 6; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dec. 7, in the Fine Arts Building Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.

The holiday art bazaar will allow members of the community to purchase a variety of handmade gifts made by UT Martin art students, faculty and alumni. All items will be available for purchase, and proceeds will support the LSA Scholarship Award Fund. The UT Martin Department of Visual and Theatre Arts is sponsoring the event.

LSA is a student art organization that encourages art enthusiasts and students in the areas of academics, community service, leadership and artistic development. LSA also encourages art within the community by completing art-related service projects.

Annual art bazaar to be held Dec. 5-7

Be an advocate!

advocacy.tennessee.edu

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REGIONAL BRANCH CAMPUS ADMINSTRATORS’ CONFERENCE – UT Martin hosted the first Southern Regional Branch Campus Administrators’ Conference on Nov. 7-8 in the Boling University Center’s Duncan Ballroom. Dr. Joseph Rives, president of NABCA, welcomed conference attendees Nov 7, after which Dr. Dawn Fortin Mattoon (pictured right), from Ruffalo Noel Levitz, gave the keynote address titled “Transitioning Your Branch Campuses to Influencer Hubs: Making Place Matter.” Attendees were then able to choose from several concurrent networking sessions on topics such as fighting declining enrollment; advising and student success; and student and mental health services at off-campus locations. Erica Bell, director of educational outreach, currently serves as vice-president of the NABCA.

PARTNERSHIP POTENTIAL – Mr. YongGang David Guo (center), of TXWheels Education Investment Branch, and his wife, Mei Han Guo (left), visited UT Martin in mid-November to discuss potential partnerships between UT Martin and Chinese universities in the fields of business, agriculture and education. Chancellor Keith Carver (right) has been invited to visit China in late spring 2020.

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Annual Empty Bowls Soup Supper raises money for We Care Ministries

UT Martin’s 16th-annual Empty Bowls Soup Supper raised approximately $13,000 for We Care Ministries and local needy families during the event Nov. 23. David McBeth, professor of art and primary event organizer, says that number has continued to increase since the event as additional bowls are sold, although final numbers are not yet available. McBeth says he and his pottery students and alumni donated 850 handmade soup bowls to the cause, and fewer than 150 remained last week. For information on how to purchase a bowl and support the local event, contact McBeth at dmcbethme@gmail.com.

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addendaPublished weekly during the academic year and biweekly during the summer by UT Martin, Martin, TN 38238

Randy Boyd – Interim President, University of Tennessee System • Dr. Keith Carver Jr. – Chancellor • Erin Chesnut – Addenda Editor UT Martin is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer. E05-0425-00-001-20

•Dec. 2 – Kiwanis Christmas Parade; University Street; 7 p.m.•Dec. 2 – Orchestra concert; Blankenship Recital Hall; 7:30 p.m.•Dec. 3 – Big Band Ensemble concert; Fulton Theatre; 7:30 p.m.•Dec. 5 – Office of Human Resources open house; Hall-Moody Administration Building, room 112; 9 a.m.-noon

Upcoming Events•Dec. 5 – League of Striving Artists Holiday Bazaar; Fine Arts Building Gallery; 5-8 p.m.•Dec. 5 – Wind Ensemble and Concert Band concert; Fulton Theatre; 7:30 p.m.•Dec. 6 – Last day of fall classes•Dec. 6 – League of Striving Artists Holiday Bazaar; Fine Arts Building Gallery; 11 a.m.-7 p.m.•Dec. 7 – League of Striving Artists Holiday Bazaar; Fine Arts

You Tell Me•Question – Does the personal leave time I have accrued this year roll over into 2020?

•Answer – Sick leave and annual leave time, for those eligible to accrue it, continue to accumulate and can be used next year. However, if you have a “personal day” on file, those eight hours do not roll over and must be used within the calendar year when they were assigned. If you have a personal day in your account, you must use those eight hours before Dec. 31, 2019, or they will no longer be available. A new personal day will be awarded for the 2020 calendar year. Employees with compensatory time should discuss the use of this time with their department or unit supervisors.

Submit your questions anonymously to the Suggestion Box link at www.utm.edu/suggestionbox.

Building Gallery; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.•Dec. 8 – Women’s basketball vs. Chattanooga; Elam Center; 2 p.m.•Dec. 9-13 – Final exams•Dec. 9 – Douglas Owens, faculty recital; Blankenship Recital Hall; 5 p.m.•Dec. 13 – Faculty commencement practice; Elam Center; 1:30 p.m.•Dec. 14 – Commencement;

Elam Center; 11 a.m.•Dec. 16 – Final grades due; 8:30 a.m.•Dec. 16 – Women’s basketball vs. Lipscomb; Elam Center; 11 a.m.•Dec. 17 – Chancellor’s Holiday Breakfast (non-exempt staff); Dunan Ballroom; 7:30 a.m.

UT’s Suicide Prevention PlanAccording to the American

College Health Association, suicide is the second most common cause of death among college students. Common stress producers, which could lead to suicidal thoughts and attempts, include financial issues, competitiveness and acceptance.

As a result, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law requiring all state institutions of higher education to establish a suicide prevention plan for students, faculty and staff.

The University of Tennessee prevention plan and additional resources are available at the UT System Human Resources website.

Remember: If you or a colleague are in an emergency or crisis, call 911, reach out to one of your campus or state resources or contact

the Employee Assistance Program. Statewide Resources

•Employee Assistance Program – 855-Here4TN (855-437-3486) – Offers free, confidential assistance to employees and their families and provides a wide range of resources to support employees dealing with many challenges, including but not limited to suicidal thoughts; grief and loss; depression, anxiety and stress; and family concerns.

•Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (tspn.org) – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Text TN to 741741 – Available 24 hours a day to help anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis.

PreventionThe University of Tennessee

provides an employee assistance program through the state of

Tennessee. Employees who feel stressed, depressed, anxious, or have other concerns are encouraged to use the EAP hotline as early as possible. You should not wait until you are having suicidal thoughts – get help as soon as possible. The EAP number is 1-855-Here4TN, or 855-437-3486.

Suicide preparedness is one of the best ways to prepare to assist a colleague who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts. Commit to learning the symptoms of depression and warning signs of suicide. Register for training through the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network.

InterventionMany troubled individuals display

behaviors that may deliberately or inadvertently signal their suicidal

intent. If you, a UT colleague or a UT student exhibit any warning signs, seek help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Certain risk factors may increase the likelihood that someone in trouble will consider or attempt suicide. To learn more about the warning signs and risk factors, please visit the UT Suicide Prevention website.

PostventionThe university’s employee

assistance program, which can be reached at 855-Here4TN (855-437-3486), can offer ongoing support for someone who has either attempted suicide or who is affected by a suicide attempt of a loved one.